Cherry, G. Dreamscapes

About the Book

Introduction Around 1976 I wrote a poem about dreams. Although I don’t recall the exact lines, within the essence of the poem was the idea that out dreams give us a sense of purpose in living. That dreams are our strongest motivators. However, that it was a rare occasion when reality measured up to the dream, and that instances where reality exceeded the dream almost never occur. At the end of the poem I resolved to hold onto my dreams. I went on to realize many of my smaller dreams; however the larger ones seemed to stay just out of reach. Like a dog chasing its tail, no matter how much effort I expended the big dreams seemed to move further away. It was at this point that I stopped and began to analyze this process of dream realization. I had been pouring more energy into the process thinking that the realization of a larger dream just required a greater effort. But that just didn’t work. Eventually, I figured out that problem was in my relationship with the dream itself. I had come to relate to the dream so intensely as a dream that I was not able to relate to it as something that was about to become part of my current reality. It was like playing the lottery. After a while you don’t actually expect to win. You think that it would be very nice but you don’t really expect that you will be the winner. And in that way, winning the lottery becomes only a dream that will never become part of your reality.

About the Author

Gregory Cherry I was born in November 1953 in Baltimore. In June 1982 I received a J.D. from the University of Maryland Law School. And in June of 1978 I received a B.A. in Political Science from Morgan State University. The first two years of my undergrad were spent in an engineering program at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., where I began experimenting with oil paints. When I transferred to Morgan State I also met Mr. Wesley Richardson, and Mr. James Barefoot. After looking at my some of my work, they invited me into their studio, where they taught me the fundamentals of oil painting. I have continued to paint until the present. As Mr. Barefoot would everything goes better as long as you are painting. I remain indebted to these two gentlemen.